


Moment of Truth

by all_I_want_is_nothing



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Angst, Caregiver Kaito, Caregiver Maki, Carrying, Classification AU, Cuddling & Snuggling, Diapers, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Little Shuichi, Littles Are Known, Non-Sexual Age Play, Pacifiers, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Relationships, Stuffed Toys, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Wetting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:33:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27718903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/all_I_want_is_nothing/pseuds/all_I_want_is_nothing
Summary: Kaito and Maki find out Shuichi's classification.It turns out to be the best thing to happen to the detective.
Relationships: Harukawa Maki & Momota Kaito & Saihara Shuichi, Harukawa Maki & Saihara Shuichi, Momota Kaito & Saihara Shuichi
Comments: 20
Kudos: 114





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is entirely self-indulgent, even though I haven’t finished the games or watched any playthroughs of them. So be warned: it’s most likely OOC. It’s also unbeta’d, so all mistakes are my own! In this universe, everyone is still in the killing game, but there’s added dynamics: Neutrals, Caregivers, and Littles. Neutrals are the most common, followed by Caregivers, then Littles. Team Danganronpa was originally going to only include the first two dynamics, but thought that adding a Little into the mix would be interesting.

The morning bell rang, its cheery tune the polar opposite of Shuichi’s grumpy mood. His cold diaper squished between his thighs when he sat up in bed, and he knew he would have to change himself soon before he got a rash.

The detective dragged a hand down his face, pausing when he came into contact with the plastic shield of a pacifier. Oh. When had that gotten into his mouth?

Shaking his head, he pulled it out. Opening his bedside table’s drawer, he deposited it in there. It wasn’t as if he was going to use it again, so proper hygiene could be ignored. At least until it bothered him enough that he cleaned it anyway.

The soggy diaper made him waddle slightly as he went over to the closet, looking for the supplies that Monokuma had  _ generously _ provided him with. The bear’s words, of course, not his.

Moving blankets away from the back of his closet, he uncovered the duffel bag that held necessary items for when he was in his headspace. Which he never was, if he had to be honest.

He glanced around furtively out of habit, then unzipped the duffel. Shuichi was glad the plain black bag looked so unassuming; nobody would guess what was really inside. There were bottles, pacifiers, diapers, pull-ups, and other such items relating to his headspace.

He grabbed a pull-up from its package, figuring he should get ready to go out, and staunchly ignored the toys and outfits collecting dust in the farthest corner of the closet. The bluenette didn’t know why the robotic bear had even bothered with those babyish things. It wasn’t like Shuichi  _ wanted _ to be a Little.

Entering the bathroom for a brief moment, he quickly removed his soiled diaper and tossed it in the trash, letting out a sigh of relief. He never liked wearing those things, but he needed them at night. The times he had forgotten, he had always ended up with wet sheets.

He cleaned himself up with a couple of wipes, which joined the diaper in the trash. The pull-up, while not ideal, was leagues better than a diaper. He could at least try and pretend it was slightly thicker underwear. He put it on, along with the rest of his clothes.

Steeling himself with a deep breath, he grasped the doorknob and exited his room. He saw nobody in the halls, which meant everybody was already at breakfast. Great.

His mood didn’t improve upon entering the cafeteria. Like he expected, people turned to look curiously. It wasn’t every day that the normally punctual detective was late.

Kaito waved him over from where he was sitting by Maki. Shuichi was surprised to see five plates of food on the table, three of them in front of the empty seat between his two friends.

“Hey, sidekick! Slept in, huh?” The purplenette greeted as soon as the detective sat down. “That’s alright, ‘cause me and Maki-roll already made you a plate,”

Maki focused on Shuichi, “Three, actually.”

“Oh, um, thanks,” Shuichi said, a bit overwhelmed from the attention on him, “but this is a lot of food,”

It seemed as if they had gone all out. One plate had two eggs that were sunny-side up, a few pieces of bacon, and shredded hashbrowns. Another had a stack of chocolate-chip pancakes with whipped cream and syrup on top. The final one was the smallest, only having a couple of sausage links and some toast on it.

“You need to eat more,” Maki told him.

Truthfully, Shuichi was unnerved from her unwavering attention. It was like she was looking right through him. He wasn’t able to continue making eye contact with her.

“We didn’t know what you’d like, so we got you some of everything,” Kaito spoke up when he didn’t say anything.

There was something missing, though.

“Coffee?” Shuichi asked.

Kaito and Maki exchanged looks, seemingly having a nonverbal conversation. He glanced between them, feeling like he was missing something.

The noirette was the first one to speak, “Coffee isn’t a good substitute for sleep.”

“I’ve slept!” He protested, knowing he hadn’t gotten much.

Maki clearly didn’t believe him, “Eat. Don’t make me feed you.”

Shuichi’s eyes widened slightly, and he could feel the tips of his ears turn red. He hastily started on the plate with the eggs, belatedly realizing that the food was arranged to look like a smiley face. He could feel Maki’s stare for a few more seconds before she was satisfied enough to begin on her own breakfast.

While he ate, he considered their behavior. If he didn’t know any better, he would suspect that they knew he was a Little. It wasn’t uncommon, though, for Caregivers to mother-hen Neutrals and even other Caregivers in the absence of a Little.

Shuichi managed to get through his first plate and some of the toast before he felt full. Kaito frowned and tried to get him to eat more food with a pleading expression on his face.

“Just one more bite?” The purplenette asked.

“I’m full,” Shuichi said, turning his head when the other boy tried popping a piece of toast into his mouth.

Maki glanced up from her finished plate, “Kaito. Knock it off. If he says he’s full, he’s full. Don’t push him to eat more,”

“Right, right! Sorry, I got carried away,” Kaito rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

“Uh huh. If you’re done, let’s clean up and go,” She looked at Shuichi. “Your room?”

The bluenette noticeably hesitated before agreeing, which of course was caught by the two Caregivers. They both sent him questioning looks. Drat. He had to scramble to think of something to say.

“My room is fine, I just have to do something,” Shuichi hurriedly told them.

It was the truth, after all; the dirty pacifier he left in his bedside table’s drawer was starting to bother him now. Maki nodded, and they all stood up and left.

The trio walked back to Shuichi’s room in comfortable silence. It was rather uneventful, except for when Kokichi ran by. Judging by how Kirumi was hot on his heels, he probably pranked her.

Using his dorm key, he unlocked the door and entered first, making a beeline for the bedside table. He pulled the pacifier out and quickly stuffed it in his pocket.

“I’ll just be a moment,” Shuichi reassured his friends, stepping inside the bathroom and closing the door behind him.

He pulled the pacifier out of his pocket, taking care to wash it thoroughly with hot, soapy water, leaving it to dry on the counter. When he opened the door, both Kaito and Maki were looking at him.

“Buddy,” Kaito said sympathetically as he came out of the bathroom, “you must be so tired of struggling on your own,”

“Huh? What do you—” Shuichi asked, the words dying on his tongue when he looked past the purplenette.

Maki had the duffel bag hanging from one hand, still unzipped from when he had gotten ready in the morning. The package of pull-ups was visible, as well as the other changing supplies he used.

Shuichi’s eyes widened, “You went through my stuff?”

“It was sitting in front of the bed. It was impossible to ignore,” Maki said with a shake of her head.

“Oh. Um…” He didn’t know what to say.

They now knew his secret. Shuichi Saihara, the Ultimate Detective, was a Little. He stared at their feet and wondered what they would do with this information.

Kaito crossed his arms, a thoughtful look on his face, “You wanna drop into your headspace?” He asked bluntly.

Shocked, the bluenette looked up at him, “I’ve never…”

“Why don’t you try to?” The astronaut tilted his head.

Maki rolled her eyes, “Kaito, why don’t you try to learn some tact?”

“No, um, it’s fine,” Shuichi hastily said. He cleared his throat to get rid of his nerves, “I… I want to try. Can you help me?”

The purplenette nodded, looking excited, “Let’s get you out of these big boy clothes, then!” Kaito exclaimed.

Shuichi let out a squeak when the taller boy scooped him up with ease, then set him down on the changing mat Maki placed on the bed. He blushed furiously as the purplenette stripped him and diapered him, the movements smooth and practiced.

Too busy closing his eyes in embarrassment, he didn’t notice Kaito starting to dress him. From the feel of the material, he could tell it wasn’t his normal clothes. Before he could protest, a pacifier was pushed into his mouth. 

Right, those were in the bag, too.

Kaito picked Shuichi up again, coming to stand in front of the full-length mirror in the corner of the room. Shyly, the detective glanced at himself in the mirror, and his eyes widened. He looked totally different.

Instead of the dark navy color he preferred to wear, Kaito had dressed him in a baby blue onesie and darker blue knee-length socks. The plain black pacifier bobbed in his mouth when he gave it an experimental suck.

Turning his head, he saw Maki standing behind them, a blue stuffed cat in one of her hands. Hesitating, he reached out a hand, and she immediately gave it to him. Its fur was very soft, and he couldn’t help but cuddle into it. He missed the tender looks both Caregivers gave him when he did so.


	2. Chapter 2

Shuichi stared at the rattle being waved in front of his face with a blank look, feeling a bit guilty when Kaito’s face visibly crumbled. The two had been trying to get him into his headspace for what felt like hours.

“It’s not working,” The astronaut said with a frown.

“I can tell.” Maki replied from where she was sitting on the bed. “It could be that he’s still fighting his headspace.”

“Why would he do that?”

“I’m not sure. You’re the one with more experience in caregiving,”

“But… aren’t you the Ultimate Caregiver?”

“Ultimate _Child_ Caregiver. Littles… they don’t like to be around me.”

“I’m sure they do. You just have a very serious face!” Kaito slung an arm around her shoulder. “Don’t put yourself down. Shuichi’s around, isn’t he? That’s at least one Little in your corner!”

Maki didn’t look convinced, “Perhaps… he’s not fighting his headspace. It could be that he can’t go down, since I’m here…”

“No. Listen, you can’t beat yourself up about this. It might just be tough for him to slip because he’s suppressed his headspace all this time,” The purplenette said.

Shuichi looked back and forth between the two as they talked to each other. They never once glanced in his direction or asked for his input. It was as if he wasn’t there—or that he was too small to understand the conversation. His face grew hot at the thought; what was that little flutter in his stomach?

The bluenette hid behind his stuffed cat, giving the pacifier in his mouth a suck to calm himself down. He heard the two Caregivers stop talking, and he was sure that they were looking at him. He felt like he was balancing on the edge of something, which confused him.

Something—a blanket, he realized—was wrapped around his shoulders. Shuichi blinked up at Kaito’s smiling face, and he couldn’t help but give a shy smile in return. Tension left his body in a dizzying rush. His mind, while still clear for the most part, turned a little fuzzy around the edges.

“Think he finally slipped,” Kaito said softly, ruffling Shuichi’s hair.

Maki leaned closer, getting the bluenette’s attention, “Yeah. Just look at how happy he is,”

The normally reserved noirette had a small, satisfied grin on her face. Her walls were seemingly lowered seeing the detective in his headspace. Shuichi decided he liked this relaxed version of Maki, and he wanted to see her relax further. He crawled over to the edge of the bed, raising his arms up to her in the universal signal to be picked up. She did just that, hoisting him onto her lap with surprising strength.

“Do you need something, Shuichi?” Maki asked, gently bopping him on the nose with a finger.

“Wan’ you,” He said in a small voice.

“Oh? Do you… want cuddles?” She wrapped her arms around him slowly, giving him ample time to move away.

“Yes!” Shuichi exclaimed, snuggling into her with a happy sigh. He pulled the blanket tighter around himself, then looked up at Kaito, “You too?”

“How can I say no to that?” The purplenette grinned, flopping beside the two on bed and pulling them close to him.

After cuddling for a while, the blissful moment was interrupted by the growling of Kaito’s stomach. The other two looked at him, and he adopted a sheepish expression.

“Guess it’s lunch time,” The astronaut said. He sat up quickly, realizing something, “If _I’m_ hungry, that must mean that this lil’ man is hungry too!”

“No, not hung’y,” Shuichi said politely.

“No? Well, if you’re not hungry, then you won’t mind a monster attack!”

Shuichi was confused for a split second, before his sides were attacked by Kaito’s fingers. The detective giggled and squirmed, trying in vain to escape being tickled, but he couldn’t go far in Maki’s hold.

“Ka’to! Stop!” The bluenette squealed.

“Hmm, I dunno… Maki-roll, what do you think? _Should_ I stop?” Kaito asked nonchalantly.

The content smile on Maki’s face widened, but before she could reply, there was a knock on the door. Her expression instantly shifted from contentment to cool. Everyone looked at the door apprehensively.

“Shuichi? Are you in there?” Kirumi’s voice came from the other side of the door. “It’s time for lunch. I thought I would come let you know, seeing as you were late for breakfast,”

Shuichi let out a small whine, not knowing what to do. Nervousness settled in his stomach like lead, and he helplessly looked to Maki and Kaito for reassurance. The noirette shushed him quietly, sending a glare to the other Caregiver to do something.

“Sounds good!" Kaito said, chafing under Maki’s glare.

There was a pause.

“Kaito?” A hefty amount of surprise and confusion dusted that one word from Kirumi.

Oblivious, the purplenette responded, “Yes?”

“May I ask what you’re doing in Shuichi’s room?”

“Taking care of him?”

Another pause, before the maid asked, “What? Why? Is he sick? Is he hurt?”

“No?”

“Then why are you taking care of him?” Kirumi sounded anxious.

“Just open the damn door before you give her a heart attack,” Maki huffed.

“Not in front of the baby!” Kaito said, letting out a scandalized gasp.

Maki rolled her eyes, adjusting Shuichi in her lap. She shifted so her legs hung off the side of the bed, starting to gently bounce him out of instinct. It went a long way to soothe the riled up Little.

Kaito opened the door, face to face with a near frantic Kirumi. She breezed past him and into the room, stopping in her tracks upon seeing Shuichi. Naturally slipping into Caregiver mode, she leaned down to the Little’s eye level a good distance away.

“Hey there,” Kirumi said softly, as not to startle him anymore than she already had, “Do you know me?”

Shuichi looked baffled, “Mhm. Kir’mi,”

Smiling, the maid said, “That’s right. Good job!”

The bluenette looked happy at the praise. Kirumi stood, brushing off imaginary dust from her impeccably kept outfit. She gave a curt nod to both Kaito and Maki, moving to leave, but paused at the door.

“Would you like to take him to the dining hall?” She asked.

Kaito, who had leaned back against the wall, straightened up, “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. Nobody knows he’s a Little except for us, and now you,”

The greenette nodded, “I understand. Though, you must know that his Classification _will_ get out to the others eventually. Would it not be best to control when and how they find out?”

“Are you saying that you’ll tell everyone?” Maki said dangerously.

Kirumi stared at Maki, “No. I have reason to believe that Monokuma knows, and could potentially use it against him,”

“Shit.” Kaito swore. “That… makes sense. What do we do?”

“As I said, it would be better if you three were to control when and how the others find out. I won’t tell them, I’ll leave that to your discretion.” With that, Kirumi took her leave.

Shutting the door for privacy’s sake, Kaito glanced at Maki. Though he couldn’t read her expression, he could tell by the way her bouncing grew ever so slightly faster that she was worried. The astronaut felt the same way.

“So. What do we do now?” Kaito asked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the love this story has gotten! It's given me a lot of motivation to continue writing, enough so that I have at least one more chapter planned out for this! Originally, it was going to be a one-shot, but I think that it would be better as a multi-chapter fic. I'm not sure if the other parts of the series will have multiple chapters or not, though. I'm also not sure if I want there to be any killings, since I meant for this story to be fluff central with some angst thrown in. Again, comments and Kudos are appreciated! I may not reply to them, but I do read every comment. They mean a lot to me.


	3. Chapter 3

The question went unanswered for a long period of time. Kaito, who asked it, drummed his fingers against his thigh in an anxious manner. Maki, who had a squirming Little on her lap, just didn’t know what to say.

Then there was Shuichi, who noticed his Caregivers’ somber moods, but wasn’t aware of the reason why. He was too firmly in his headspace to have followed the conversation.

“What wrong?” Shuichi asked.

“Nothing. Don’t worry about it, squirt!” Kaito was quick to reassure him, coming over to ruffle his hair.

The bluenette pouted, pushing the Caregiver’s hand off of his head, “Lie.”

Maki’s fond smile returned at that. Even in his headspace, Shuichi was perceptive. She maneuvered him until he was facing her, a serious glint in her eyes.

“Shuichi. Do you want to meet the others?” She asked him.

“Yeah,”

“You’re sure? We can bring back food if you don’t want anyone to know yet,”

Shuichi took out his pacifier, fidgeting with it, and he pondered if he was sure or not. Part of him was terrified, but the other part of him knew it would only be a matter of time before Monokuma told everyone. He didn’t want to be used as a motive. The bluenette felt Big enough to assure both Caregivers that he truly didn’t mind the others knowing his Classification.

“I’m sure.” He said firmly.

There must have been something in his expression, because Maki nodded and popped the pacifier back into his mouth. Kaito, as if on cue, picked him up and shifted him to one hip effortlessly. Shuichi still marveled at that; it did wonders to send him deep into his headspace, he was quickly finding out.

“Cat?” The bluenette asked, making grabby hands for the plushie on the bed.

“They will be here when you get back,” Maki replied.

Shuichi wriggled suddenly as he demanded, “Cat.”

Frustration was starting to well up inside him. Angry tears pooled in his eyes as he squirmed to be let go. He just wanted his stuffed animal!

Kaito put a finger to his lips, “Shh, they fell asleep. You wouldn’t want to wake them, would you?”

“Sleep?” That stopped him in his tracks. He didn’t know they were asleep!

“Mhm. We have to be careful not to wake them, which is why we’re going to the dining hall. When we get back, we’ll join them for an afternoon nap,”

The detective made a face, “No nap.”

“Of course,” Kaito laughed, giving him a bounce. He made sure to grab the diaper bag, slinging it over his free shoulder. “Maki-roll, the door?”

“Would it kill you to say please?” Maki snarked, opening the door so they could leave. Once they were out, she locked it again.

The walk to the dining hall could have been mistaken for a funeral procession. At least for the Caregivers, that is. Shuichi hummed behind his pacifier, letting his legs dangle freely rather than wrap them around Kaito’s waist. The three entered the dining hall, and it went silent.

Then, there were many voices clamoring all at once.

There was Kokichi’s voice, “Why is Shumai dressed up like a baby?”

“Aww! He’s so cute!” Came from Tsumugi.

“What’s cute about him?” Retorted Miu.

Kaede nudged the inventor gently, “Everything! Look at how adorable he is!”

“No, seriously, why is my beloved dressed up like a baby?” Kokichi piped up again.

Shuichi glanced at everyone with wide eyes. They all were vying for his attention. He felt more than a little overwhelmed. He buried his face into Kaito’s chest, whimpering.

“That’s enough.” Maki said quietly, a sharp edge to her tone.

Even though everyone else was louder, apparently they could hear her, as they all went silent. It would have been a tiny bit humorous, but her Little was distressed.

“Maki…” Kaito warned, but was quieted by a glare from her.

“As you can see, Shuichi is a Little, and we’re acting as his main Caregivers. If anyone tries to hurt him, I’ll kill you.” Steamrolling over any gasps of shock, she held up a hand, “And before you ask, if you want to spend time with him while he’s Little, you have to ask him when he’s Big.”

The Caregivers in the room nodded, albeit unhappily, while the Neutrals just looked confused but curious. Shuichi risked a glance at the group, brightening visibly when he saw Kaede.

“Kay-day!” He exclaimed excitedly. He reached out to her with the hand not clutching Kaito’s shirt.

“Hi there Shuichi,” Kaede cooed. “Did you come to have lunch?”

“Mhm!” The bluenette confirmed.

“Speaking of which,” Kirumi interjected, moving to stand in front of the group, “We should all get our food. It wouldn’t do to distract the Little from eating, now would it?” She put her hands on her hips and directed a stern look at the gathered people.

Eventually, with grumbles from some of the other Caregivers, the group dispersed to go eat. Maki, Kaito, and Shuichi went to sit at their usual spot. The purplenette sat down, moving Shuichi so he was properly in his lap. Maki, who was still standing, raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

“What?” Kaito asked. “I’m making sure he doesn’t fall, since there aren’t any high chairs,”

“I get that,” Maki replied, “but how am I supposed to get him his bottle when you still have the diaper bag?”

“Oh, right,” The astronaut said, passing it to her.

She spared a small, brief smile for Shuichi as she rummaged around in the bag for a bottle, “How does apple juice sound?”

Shuichi thought about it for a second, “Good.”

“What should we feed him this time? And before you answer,” Maki said when Kaito opened his mouth, “we are _not_ going to make him three plates again.”

Kaito shut his mouth, making Shuichi giggle. After a couple of minutes, the purplenette perked up, apparently thinking of something.

“You know those chicken nuggets?” Kaito asked.

“There are a lot of chicken nuggets. Be more specific.” Maki replied.

“The dino-shaped ones!”

“Yeah? What about them?”

“Well, I enjoyed them a lot as a kid, so maybe my sidekick here would like them too!”

Maki nodded, pleased with that answer, “They’re a finger food, so we wouldn’t have to find baby-safe utensils or feed him ourselves,”

“Exactly! Hey, what do you think about nuggets, Shu?” Kaito wanted to know.

“Nuggies?” Shuichi asked.

“Yeah, baby. Nuggies!”

Shuichi simply kicked his feet happily, which was _adorable_ , and the only answer Kaito needed. It was also the go-ahead for Maki to get Kirumi and head into the kitchen. Kaito noticed that she left the diaper bag on the seat beside him.

“Let’s see what we can do in the meantime,” The purplenette whispered conspiratorially to Shuichi.

Feeling around the inside of the bag with one hand, he pulled out a coloring book and a box of crayons. The coloring book was simple, but boasted several hundred cute designs to color, while the crayons were large and made to fit a Little’s hand better.

For the first time, Kaito wondered who had given Shuichi all this stuff. He would have to ask him when the bluenette wasn’t in his headspace.

They both lost track of time as they colored together. Kaito jumped when the coloring book and crayons were taken away and replaced with a plate and a bottle. Maki sat behind the two with her own plate.

“Kirumi wanted to make everything from scratch, that’s why it took so long.” Maki explained, gesturing to the chicken nuggets and french fries. “She doesn’t like anyone to eat anything processed, especially Littles.”

“Got it,” Kaito said with a thumbs up. He then looked confused, “Where’s my plate?”

“You’re a big boy, get it yourself.”

Kaito’s mouth dropped open in offended shock. Maki simply smirked, staring him down. Shuichi, on the other hand, was focused entirely on his food, humming happily while dipping his nuggets in ranch and his fries in ketchup.

  
  


“Maki!” The purplenette exclaimed.

“I’m joking. Shuichi isn’t going to eat all of them, and you said you liked them as a kid, so…” Maki trailed off.

Kaito blinked, “Oh. Thanks Maki, that’s really kind of you!”

Maki’s cheeks tinged with red, and she turned away, “Whatever.”

After Shuichi was done eating (Maki was right, he only ate about half of the fries and nuggets), Kaito fed him his bottle. A completely sappy expression crossed the Caregivers’ faces as Shuichi sighed contentedly and suckled from the bottle.

However, the peaceful moment wouldn’t last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh. Wonder what's gonna happen next...
> 
> Like always, thank you guys so much for the Kudos and comments!


	4. Chapter 4

Two weeks.

Shuichi had been in his headspace for two whole weeks, his Big side barely surfacing during that entire time. It terrified him until Kirumi told him that it was normal for a Little whose headspace was suppressed for so long. Still, he couldn’t help but try and avoid slipping into his headspace. Relying on someone, especially for that long, was _scary_.

Once all the Caregivers had found out he was a Little, Shuichi just knew he was eventually going to be mother-henned to death. There were a lot of pent up emotions going around because of the killing game. All of them were practically chomping at the bit to spend time with him while he was regressed. Even the Neutrals’ interest was piqued, but Shuichi couldn’t fathom why.

He wandered aimlessly through the empty halls, the occasional squeak of his shoes against the linoleum breaking the rhythmic sound of his footsteps. From time to time, he nervously glanced behind him, having the strange feeling he was being followed, though he never saw anyone.

When he had told Kaito he needed a moment to himself to clear his head, the purplenette didn’t seem happy, but let him go. At first, he considered that a good thing, but now he felt increasingly smaller the longer he walked around. Maybe it would’ve been a better idea to stay with the others. There was safety in numbers, after all.

Shuichi was so deep in thought that he didn’t notice something in his path until he tripped over it. Pain bloomed on his hands and knees as he stopped himself from falling on his face, but it was enough to send him right into his headspace. He started quietly sobbing, his hands balling into fists to rub at his eyes.

“Oh, boo-hoo! You don’t see me crying, and I was punted across the floor!” A shrill voice piped up, and Shuichi looked up to see Monokuma standing with his paws on his hips.

“Go ‘way,” The bluenette hiccupped, not in the mood to deal with the black-and-white bear.

“Is someone cranky? Does someone need a N-A-P?” Monokuma mocked in a sing-song voice.

Shuichi shakily pushed himself up off the ground, frowning at his wrinkled clothes. He was dirty too; someone, most likely Gonta from his latest bug hunt, had tracked in mud all over the floor. The Little wished Kaito or Maki were here to help clean him up.

As if reading his mind, Monokuma spoke, “Are you looking for your mommy or daddy? Or both? I know where they are, follow me!”

The robotic bear started moving, but paused to make sure he was being followed. Shuichi, on the other hand, was standing still. He wasn’t sure if he could trust Monokuma.

“What’s the problem?” The bear asked Shuichi.

“Nothing,”

“Then come on! You wouldn’t want to keep them waiting! They have a… _surprise_ for you!”

“Surprise?” Shuichi repeated, astonished. He liked surprises!

“Yessir,” Monokuma rubbed his paws together gleefully.

The two walked off together, heading towards the gymnasium. Shuichi was cheerful, while Monokuma was silent. Unbeknownst to both of them, someone was watching from around the corner.

“Well, that’s not good.” They said before following.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the length of this chapter! I'm unsure where I want to go with this story, and I've been struggling with my depression. Re-reading the comments for the story brings a smile to my face, though! I appreciate all of them. Also: I now have a tumblr! Please give that a follow if you'd like, I'll take requests there, and if you just wanna chat I'd love that! https://all-1-want-is-nothing.tumblr.com/


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning! There is a brief description of a panic attack in this chapter, so be careful!

Rantaro liked to think he was a good Caregiver. He had twelve sisters to look after, and that went a long way in preparing him for taking care of a Little. He was more suited to the lower age range of Littles, especially the ones which shitty Caregivers cringed at the thought of: babies. He didn’t mind them, though. Once you’ve changed one diaper, you’ve changed them all, as he liked to say.

The greenette never thought he’d get the chance to actually be around a Little. Color him surprised when Kaito walked in with a diaper bag on one shoulder and Shuichi situated on his hip. The detective looked so adorable in his onesie and socks, and Rantaro thought he might just die from how cute he was with a pacifier in his mouth.

He had wanted to go over and greet Shuichi, but he could tell that the Little was overwhelmed with everyone crowding him. So he had settled for watching wistfully from across the room, hands propping up his chin and elbows on the table. Kirumi had scolded him for his bad manners, but he barely paid attention to what the maid was saying at first. When he finally realized she had been talking to him, Rantaro had looked up to see a knowing smile on her face.

Rantaro was embarrassed to admit how attached he had gotten to Shuichi, despite them barely interacting. It must have been instinct—or maybe it was just the bluenette’s charm that he didn’t think he had. People flocked to him, but he was too oblivious to see it. The greenette wondered where those detective skills Shuichi had were, since they were obviously not in use.

Case in point: Shuichi falling for Monokuma’s lie and going with him.

After seeing Kaito and Shuichi talk heatedly for a few minutes, Rantaro got the odd feeling that something was off with the bluenette. He was glad he trusted his gut and followed the detective, since Monokuma’s downright gleeful demeanor did not bode well.

He had to stop outside the gymnasium doors, as he could see the Monokubs acting as guards just inside of it. Shuichi and Monokuma went inside, and the Monokubs shut the doors. Thankfully, they didn’t see him, but it was a close thing.

“Fuck,” The greenette breathed aloud, his heart pounding.

He needed to get the others.

* * *

“What’s this bastard doing here, father?” Monotaro asked as soon as they shut the door.

“Bad word,” Shuichi interjected.

“What?” The red-and-white bear was caught off guard.

“Kaito said that’s one of the bad words,” The bluenette said like it was obvious. “Like, um, stupid! Oh… don’t tell him I said that,”

“Is he like us, daddy?” Monophanie questioned, looking curiously at the detective.

“In a way,” Monokuma answered. “He doesn’t share your good looks, though! He’s what’s known as a _Little_ , or should I say, a big baby.”

Shuichi frowned, “Not a baby,”

“Sure you aren’t.” Monosuke said flippantly. “More importantly, we need to focus on why he’s here. Pops?”

Monokuma clapped his paws together, “I’m glad _someone_ asked!”

“Didn’t I ask?” Monotaro muttered.

“Well, as you know,” The black-and-white bear ignored his son, “things have been boring around here. There have been no thrills, no chills, and no kills! That’s simply unacceptable! So, what better way is there to get the blood pumping—and hopefully spilling—than to hold the only Little hostage?”

“Hell yeah!” Monokid cheered with the others.

Shuichi didn’t understand why everyone was so enthused. Maybe what they meant by ‘holding him hostage’ was that they were throwing him a surprise party. A party would definitely call for celebration. Not that he’d ever been to one, though.

“Are we having a party?” Shuichi asked, glancing around. There wasn’t anything that indicated they were. No decorations, presents, or even food. Some party this was.

Monokuma hesitated before responding, “Er… yes, we still need to set up though,”

“What’s that for?” The bluenette asked, noticing that Monodam held a coil of rope and a roll of duct tape in his paws.

“Well, you’re one of the presents! You want your mommy and daddy to be surprised, don’t you?”

“Oh, okay.” He didn’t like the thought of being wrapped up, but if it was to surprise Kaito and Maki, then he’d allow it.

Shuichi sat down in the chair, watching nervously as Monodam worked on tying him up. He wriggled in his bindings, finding that he couldn’t move and inch.

“I can’t move,” Shuichi whined.

“That is the point.” Monodam replied, startling Shuichi. Wasn’t this Monokub usually silent?

Tears welled up in his eyes, and he felt ashamed at how quickly he started crying. He wanted to be a good boy and surprise his Caregivers, but he was so uncomfortable and _he couldn’t move_. The bluenette felt an icky sensation building up in his body, his breathing becoming faster and shallower.

“Can someone shut the bastard up? I’m getting tired of his whining!” Monokid snapped. Monodam quickly complied, ripping off a strip of duct tape and covering Shuichi’s mouth with it.

The detective’s sobs were now muffled, which apparently pleased the Monokubs. They all gave their variations of Monokuma’s signature laugh at the Little’s state of distress. Shuichi just hoped someone—preferably Kaito or Maki—would come and unwrap him soon.


	6. Chapter 6

Rantaro was breathless by the time he reached the place where everyone was. It happened to be the library, but he didn’t have time to question why everyone was there. Kaito, who had been tipping back in a chair, was the first one to notice him.

“Woah there, Amami. Where’s the fire?” The astronaut asked jovially.

“There’s a fire?” Kiibo looked up in alarm.

Kokichi rolled his eyes, “It’s a metaphor, stupidhead.”

“Ah, a metaphor. Of course,” Kiibo nodded, closing his eyes and putting a hand to his chin. “A figure of speech in which—”

“Sorry to interrupt,” Rantaro said apologetically, having caught his breath, “but I’m here because Shuichi is in trouble.”

Maki was instantly on her feet, “What happened.” She demanded.

“I had the feeling Shuichi was going to drop soon, so I followed him when he went on his walk,” The greenette explained. “Along the way, he literally ran into Monokuma and slipped into his headspace. Monokuma was able to convince Shuichi to follow him,”

“Shit.” Kaito cursed. “Where is he now?”

Before Rantaro could answer, the monitor in the library turned on, signaling an announcement. The gathered people all looked at it in anticipation. Some—namely Gonta and Kaede—were more nervous than others. Maki had Kaito’s arm in a death grip, which had the latter wincing in pain.

Monokuma appeared on the screen, his eyes gleaming in delight, “Hello, students! I hope you all are having a good day—’cause I’m not. You bastards haven’t been giving me the entertainment I deserve, and I’m here to make sure you finally do!”

“Don’t you do it.” Kaito muttered under his breath.

“So, here’s an ultimatum—ah-hahahaha, an ultimatum for the ultimates! I crack myself up,” The bear mimed wiping a tear from his eye.

Maki grimaced, “I just want him to get on with it.”

“Anywho, your motive is this: kill someone within twenty-four hours, or someone _precious_ dies instead.”

There was a crash from behind Monokuma. The sound of muffled cries and the Monokubs’ arguing was more than audible. Rantaro’s whole body stiffened at the familiar sobs, and he could tell that Kaito and Maki recognized them too.

“Didn’t I tell you to keep him quiet?” Monokuma raged. “I’m in the middle of an announcement!”

“Sorry, Papa Kuma,” Monokid said from off-screen, “he’s thrashing like I would at a mosh pit. I thought that shoving him would shut him up.”

“You shoved too hard!” There was Monophanie’s voice.

“Well, I’m not the one that pulled him to the ground!”

“He was tipping over!” Came Monotaro’s defensive words. “I tried to stop him from falling, but… well…”

“Enough! You’re all lucky you share my good looks, or I’d have you all dismantled!” Monokuma said, obviously annoyed, and shifted to the side just enough that they could see what caused the crash.

There was Shuichi on the floor, bound to a chair and gagged with duct tape. Instantly, the Caregivers in the room were outraged, their instincts screaming at them to save the Little in distress. They were only able to see him for a few seconds before the monitor shut off, leaving the room in abrupt silence.

“What room was that?” Kaede questioned softly, though her posture and clenched fists indicated restrained anger.

“He was led into the gymnasium,” Rantaro answered, “but I doubt they’d still be in there.”

“We should check anyway. For all we know, they very well _could_ still be there,” Kiibo pointed out.

Kokichi gave a careless shrug, “But why would we want to do that?”

“He’s a Little, and he’s in trouble.” Kaito stated.

“That may be enough of a reason for the likes of you, but I’m not gonna stick my neck out for a sniveling brat,”

“Watch what you say.” Kaito snarled.

Kaede put her hands on her hips, “Let me put it in words a Neutral like you can understand. If we save him, there’s no motive. No one dies.”

“There’s always a motive.” The supreme leader scoffed. “You read between the lines, right? If we don’t kill anybody, only he dies. That’s only one person. If we fail to rescue him, someone’s bound to end up dead ‘cause they’re desperate to save him. And then, if we don’t catch the murderer, we all die.”

Shocked, the pianist said nothing in response to Kokichi’s callous reasoning. The hostility and tension amongst the Caregivers in the room escalated rapidly, making the Neutrals very uncomfortable.

“Do you _want_ to die?” Maki all but growled, stalking up to Kokichi and grabbing him by the throat.

“You’re just mad because I’m telling the truth this time,” Kokichi wheezed out, scrabbling at Maki’s arm. The words made her grip tighten ever so slightly in warning.

“Maki, chill.” Ryoma said quietly, stepping up to her side. “We have a snowball’s chance in hell of rescuing Shuichi if we keep infighting.” When Maki didn’t move, he urged again, “Let him go, he’s not worth it.”

The Caregiver took a deep breath, letting go of Kokichi. The dark purplenette gasped for air, dramatically slumping down to the ground. He made a mockery of himself by flailing around on the ground.

“I’m dying! I’m dying!” He cried.

“Kokichi dying?” Gonta asked worriedly. Kaede put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

“Ignore him. He’s overreacting, he’ll be fine.” She said kindly.

“Helloooo? _I’m_ the one who’s supposed to be comforted. I just got choked!” Kokichi said, obviously offended.

“Get up off the floor.” Maki ordered.

“Wha—why?”

“One, you’re making a fool out of yourself,” She listed off. Though she didn’t say it, she obviously meant ‘like you always do’ . “And two, you’re going to be bait.”

“Bait? Hey, wait!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another update! Leave a Comment and a Kudos if you liked it! I'm in the midst of working on some other stories, so updates to this one might be slower than usual.  
> Have any requests? Go to my [tumblr](http://all-1-want-is-nothing.tumblr.com/)!

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a Kudos if you liked it, and please leave a comment! Comments are my motivation to write more.


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